My mind was wandering during Mindhorn. When was the last good British comedy? I guess it was Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa and that was about four years ago. Following some decent reviews, I had reasonable hopes for Mindhorn but it only delivered a few sporadic laughs. Julian Barratt stars as Richard Thorncroft, a washed up actor known only for playing Mindhorn, a detective in a largely forgotten 1980s TV series set on the Isle of Man. When a murder is committed on the island, the chief suspect says he will only talk to Mindhorn and Thorncroft is asked to reprise his role.
Barratt and his co-writer Simon Farnaby have to be given credit for the spot on references. The pastiche of the opening titles from the Mindhorn series was excellent and the appearance of the titular character is spot on for the period. There are a number of chuckles throughout the film and the scenes involving Kenneth Branagh and Simon Callow playing themselves are real highlights. But that level of invention could not be kept up, and at 90 minutes the central gag was stretched way too thin. The plot kicks-in during the latter part of the film and is pretty pedestrian stuff.
The game performances just about manage to keep things afloat, especially those of Barratt, Essie Davis, and David Schofield, though the promising actress Jessica Barden has little to do. The one exception is Farnaby who is really annoying as Mindhorn’s ex-stuntman.
All-in-all a disappointment of a film that would just about be passable on telly on a wet Sunday afternoon.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10